overview and map

gb

Overview of Bärbel’s Journey

2011

On the 21st of October 2011Bärbel leaves Vienna on her beloved bike Marlberry to cycle south. Carrying the CARETAKER philosophy in her heart she wants to travel around the world to discover news things, to learn more about a sustainable lifestyle close to nature as well as to get to know more people who live a CARETAKER-lifestyle already.

On the 31st of October 2011 Bärbel crosses the Austrian-Italian boarder and cycles through northern Italy. From Torino she cycles over snowy mountain passes through the alps until she reaches France where she passes Grenoble and the plateau of Vercors and finally reaches the Provence. She follows the southern coastline of France an takes her first swim in the sea at the beginning of December. On the 10th of December she reaches Spain at the Col dels Belitres Catalunya and just shortly after that she arrives in Barcelona. The weather is a bit rough in Northern Spain and Portugal at that time of the year and so Bärbel decides to follow the Mediterranean coastline further south.

2012

After 65 days of traveling and over 2000km on the bike Bärbel spends Christmas on a Permaculture farm near Barcelona. Here you can find our virtual Christmas present for her. Bärbel celebrates the beginning of the year 2012 with a campfire on the beach close to Alicante. Her route leads her through Almeria, she makes a little detour through the Alpujarras and the “Valle de Sensaciones” and cycles on through Granada and Malaga into southern Spain. On the 22nd of January she reaches the British zone of Gibraltar in the southern part of Spain. And it so happens that in the marina of La Linea Bärbel meets the captain who is willing to take her and her beloved bike Marlberry on his sailboat to the Canary islands. So on the 29th the ‘Morgenland’ sets sails with Bärbel and Marlberry on board and on the 10th of February they reach Las Palmas on Grand Canary and spend the following days with friends on La Gomera.

Crossing the Atlantic…

It doesn’t take long and Bärbel goes on another ship to make a dream come true: to cross the Atlantic Ocean!! On board of the sailing yacht ‘Lady Lesley’ she first sails past Cape Verde and then they cross the Atlantic and reach Martinique in the Caribbean on the 13th of March. Bärbel enjoys the tropical beaches and loads of fresh Coconut until she goes on another sailing cruise with the french boat‘Zero’ which takes her up to Cuba at the beginning of April 2012. Following the Careterra Central out of Santiago de Cuba Bärbel just enjoys her freedom and the possibility to discover a completely new world by bicycle. Because of an unpleasant incident, Bärbel is taken into custody by Cuban officials and brought to Havana. Because her passport and money was stolen, and Bärbel therefore has no ID, officials threaten to deport her. Bärbel has to go through a tough time but in the end manages to get a new Passport and a visa for the United States and finally arrives in Key West, Florida. Here she meets the young crew of the‘Westwind’and joins them sailing further up the eastern coast of Florida. From Vero Beach she finally gets on her bike again and starts off for her ride across the continent – right across the USA to California! After 3 Months of cycling across the States from Florida, through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nevada (2.3000 Mileas!) Bärbel and Marlberry finally arrive in the arms of her friend.

Happy to meet her good friend Lily again after 3 years – she stays on her and her partners Boat for a some days – making plans and preparing for the big Pacific – Passage in spring 2013 – that will bring Bärbel to Mexico and across the Pacific to Australia - from where she plans to go on to South-East Asia and ride her bike back to Europe. But before the big next Ocaean Passage Bärbel wants to see more of this beautiful continent. She desides to travel up north to Vancouver in Canada and then cycle south along the scenic pacific coast back to LA. Together with her family, who came to California for vacation and to see Bärbel after one year again, they rent an RV and travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco. In the Bay-Area they part again and Bärbel stays in Oaklandlandat the house of another member from the world wide bicycle community (www.warmshowers.org). On a new bikeBärbel starts off towards Sebastopol – where she visits an Ecovillage and then goes by Rideshare north to Portland and then Seattle, from where she rides her bike across the San Juan Island and visits her friend Ally for Thanksgiving. Excited to go to Canada, Bärbel rides her bicycle up to Vancouver – where she visits the sustainable community house “the beehive” and gets ready for her Pacific-Coast Biketour via Vancouver Island, the San Juan’s and the famous Olympic Peninsula backt to Los Angeles.

on a tiny sailing boat named “portal” baerbel started the next chapter of her adventure – crossing the biggest ocean on earth. together with her friends lily, charly and lydia baerbel sailed first to mexico along the baha california and then all across the pacific ocean. it took them 24 days from la paz in mexico to reach the first island in the south pacific. 3 looong weeks out on the sea. hopping from one paradise island to another it was about 5 months later that baerbel arrived in australia. in the meantime she had also change sailboats crewing first on a french boat from tahiti to new caledonia and on a canadian boat all the way to coffs harbour in new south whales. here she got “new” bicycle which was built for her by the help of cameron from port mcquary who recycles trash-bikes to refurbish and sell them. in order to catch the one of the last boats in the season baerbel hitche-b?ked north to darwin – but not before meeting family (hergrandmothers cousin and her daughtes family) in sidney first. finding a boat in lat october heading north to south east-asia from darwin was not an easy thing to do. in the meantime baerbel went to save some money for gardening, working on a mango farm and earning her stay in a comfi home as house-cleener. finally she found a boat and sailed with her friend from canada to idonesia. from there she started cycling across bali and then java – and took a ship to singapore. starting her journey across south east asia – she headed first to malaysia. there she met up with ania – a cyclowoman from poland and together they cycled further all across thailand, laos, china and kirgistan in the following 6 months. running out of visa in the center of china – they also caught a train to get to the kyrgys border in time. from kirhgistan baerbel went on her own again – heading for the pamir-highway and its wast beauty on 4000 meters of hight. then she continued her journey across uzbekistan and through a quick ride in turkmenistan to iran. here she spent almost 3 months cycling and exploring. for about one month she also met up with 2 cyclowomen from australia – together they were a women-cyclogang, scaring away the dayly creepers along their way. on her own again she continued to northern iran. arriving in the mid of winter baerbel had to endure frost and snow when arriving in the mountains of turkey. but soon after she met up with her friend from austria who came to cycle together for some weeks. after being stuck in some more snow – they started hitchhiking and finally even took a bus – to finally make it to the warmer coast of antalya.

On a new bikeBärbel starts off towards Sebastopol - where she visits an Ecovillage and then goes by Rideshare north to Portland and then Seattle, from where she rides her bike across the San Juan Island and visits her friend Ally for Thanksgiving. Excited to go to Canada, Bärbel rides her bicycle up to Vancouver - where she visits the sustainable community house “the beehive” and gets ready for her Pacific-Coast Biketour via Vancouver Island, the San Juan’s and the famous Olympic Peninsula backt to Los Angeles.

from here she started her sea-journey again – across the pacific ocean to Australia and then further to south -east asia. from where she continued her bike-route all across asia back to Europe.

We just met you half an hour ago in Chumphon. You’re the first bike lady we met in 8 months biking through Asia! We’re so thrilled, loved to join you if we weren’t going in opposite directions. Whenever you’re visiting Holland, you and your friend are more than welcome! Have a great journey!

haha! yeah! was so fun to meat you! 2 OTHER CYCLOWOMEN!! wish you a good journey and yes! – i will come to holland someday – as i always come back to invitations ; ) you never knwo where you will be in one year. cheers, barb